Forsaken Chronicles
by Hisa Kumini
Summary: Stage 5, In Totality; When trust is tested, a new ally approaches Daisuke and Dark. Problems concerning the two are revealed, and it becomes a matter of life or death one someone. Meanwhile, something else seems to be in the works. What could it be?
1. A Plead to the Beyond

Author's Note: No, this fiction doesn't have heavy romance. Or Shounen Ai or whatever. I personally don't have a very good intuition about that sort of thing. So... yeah. Oh, I don't own D.N.Angel, by-the-way.

* * *

**Stage One: A Plead to the Beyond**

_Oh man, I'm going to be late again...! _Daisuke Niwa dashed out of the front door of his home, a buttered piece on toast in his mouth. It had been a little over three months since Dark had sealed himself and Krad into the Black Wings. Three months since his life returned to normal. Three months since he got his 'Holy Maiden'. Yup, everything was pretty much going how life should. No mom-set traps, no going out in the middle of the night to steal art... no annoying voices in the back of his head...

It was taking him longer to adjust to this life than he thought it would. Absentmindedly, he leaped over a stack of crates in the road. "Hey, Daisuke!" the shopkeeper called. "Aren't you running late?"

"That's why I'm in a hurry!" the red-haired boy called back, not stopping to look at the man. In fact, he was in so much of a hurry that as soon as he rounded the corner... _BAM!_ Without time to so much as stop, Daisuke had run into a darkly dress woman. She looked ready to go to a funeral if it wasn't for the blindfold covering her eyes. They had fallen in completely different directions(much to Daisuke's relieve), him falling backwards onto his rear while she sprawled out on her side. "Sorry, I didn't see you." the boy apologized, helping her up.

The woman nodded. "It is quiet alright. I know you are likely in a hurry, but please stay a moment." Even without sight, she could sense his hesitation. "Do not worry, I will not take much of your time." With that, she reached under her long, flowing black hair, untying the knot that held up her blindfold. The black fabric slid from her face lightly, revealing piercing dark blue eyes. She stared at him for a moment before saying to him in a hushed tone, "I see the echoes of another within you. One that is no longer there."

Echoes of another that wasn't there? Did she mean Dark? Daisuke shifted nervously under her gaze, at which she smiled. "I really need to get going now. Bye." With that, he dashed off, determined not to be late to school. The woman stared off after him before replacing the blindfold.

"That boy... Could he really had been...?"

* * *

Pop Quiz! What does 'nothing' look like? 

Surprizingly, it looks like an awful lot of nothing. And, to this extent, it annoyed Kaitou Dark to no end. He had sealed many a work of art in his four hundred some-odd years of existence, and yet he was not quite prepared for how empty it was being sealed himself. As he had expected, Krad and himself did not return to being one entity for all time, which only served to entertain Dark, as he could patronize his opposite.

Seeing as there was no sun nor moon nor wind or even stars by which he could at least try to keep track of time, he wasn't all to sure how far into eternity they were into. It could have been a day, or it could have been a year. And for some reason, the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to laugh. As a matter of fact, this is how his counter-part found him. "So... Have you finally lost you're mind, Dark Mousy? If so, I'd gladly put you out of your misery." Krad said with open contempt. The whole being sealed thing pleased him about as much as it did Dark. Actually, it could be speculated that he hated it more than he hated Dark even.

Recovering quickly from his laughter, Dark looked to the blonde. "And why not do that now, hm? Oh, right, it's because you can't." he taunted. Truth be told, being the one who created the seal, Dark was the only one able to use magic in this place where nothing existed. And so Krad's threats were rendered harmless. "And you wouldn't kill me until I let us out of here, so..." The purple-haired angel turned away, drifting away in the endless expanse on non-existence. He really didn't feel like dealing with Krad at the moment. Of course, he would have to sooner or later. "May as well enjoy the peace and quiet while I can."

* * *

Night had fallen upon the city by the time the black robed woman arrived at her destination. The Chuuou Art Museum, Built atop a hill on the island in the centre of the city, it had once been the resting place of many of the Hikari family artworks. But only one concerned her and the three other figures in black that walked up behind her. "The three of us know what we need to do. We are counting on you, Mea, to speak for us." the blindfolded woman said, turning to the one figure that had their hood up. Mea nodded, walking forward toward the entrance. The door was locked, as should be expected at this late hour. With a wave of her hand, a white glow engulfed it. A small click echoed in the heavy air, and the large doors opened silently. 

Once inside the musky building, the four walked to where the Black Wings was held. The black mirror that contained the art piece, which was covered with a grey cloth and chained to the ground, seemed to look down upon them as if to strike fear into their hearts. A cold silence filled the air as the four of them bowed, and the one addressed as Mea stepped toward the sealed mirror. The other three gathered around her in a triangle shape, clasping their hands together as if in prayer. With an unearthly voice, Mea began her spell...

**"Spirits of the Black Wings, come forth to the border of existence. Defy that which is set and show yourselves to me! Dark! Krad! Have our souls meet on the edges of the endless planes!"**

By the time she uttered the last word, her consciousness had already left her body.

x x x x x

The feeling was both gradual and sudden. The feeling of being pulled out of the non-existence that they resided in. The first thing Dark and Krad saw was color. Okay, so it was really black, which is not a real color, but it was better than the nothingness they had been in. The deep blackness slowly faded to a dank grey, which was just bright enough to tell that it was neither black nor white. Next thing the two angels saw was chains. A wall of interwoven chains that blocked the way to existence. Beyond it they could see the museum that the Black Wings was displayed in. There were four figures, but everything beyond the mirror the Hikari's had seal the Black Wings in was blurred.

One of the four blurred figures seemed to disappear from where they stood in the middle of the group, appearing in front of the wall of chains. They bowed their head in respect, then removed the hood covering their face. Their hair was pure white, skin a ghostly pale and looked at them with clouded lite blue eyes. "Spirits of the Black Wings, I am Mea of the Seal." she said, her voice crystal clear, yet otherworldly. "I hope you do not take my calling you to this place, the Seal's Edge, badly."

Krad frowned at the girl. "I do hope you have a reason for dragging us here." he stated sharply. He did not enjoy seeing the reality that he would probably never get to go to again. "I was rather busy thinking."

"I assume you are Krad, then." There was a smile on Mea's face that remained even after she sighed. "You will not make this decision easy."

"What decision?" Dark asked.

Mea glanced to the black winged man with a sad look in her eyes. She knew he would not like this. "To release you two from the Black Wings." She watched silently as the two mens expressions changed. Krad's to look of increasing curiosity, and Dark's to frowning suspicion. "Understand why I am doing this before you judge my decision." The air seemed to get heavier as she took a calming breath. "I am sure you both are aware of the fact that you are borne from the entity known as Kokuyoku. And I assume that you know what would happen should the Black Wings awake. But I assure you. If the two of you remain sealed within Black Wings, what Dark sealed you to prevent will come to pass. The very nature of the art will force you two to become Kokuyoku, as it seeks to become that which it once was. And when that happens, the magic it contains will become so strong... it will break both the magical seal and the physical seal keeping it from wreaking havoc on the world.

"At that point, I doubt either of you, regardless of which becomes the true Kokuyoku, would be able to control the Hikari's living art. And you would have to bear the weight of an empty existence after that." The girl paused there, letting her words sink into their minds. She could see them weighing what she said against their own motives. After a moment, when they seemed to have yet reached a decision, she went on to say, "So I shall release you and advert that fate... And take your places within the seal."

That caught Dark's attention from his thoughts. "And have you replace us in the void we exist in? No, that is not something I am willing to do."

"I am sorry, Kaitou Dark, but that decision is not yours to make. I do not need you to break the seal on the Black Wings in order for me to do this." In an off note, more to herself, she added to her defiant statement, "However that would make it easier." Before she could continue, Mea of the Seal cringed, taking in a pained gasp. "It will have to wait for tomorrow. I lack enough energy now." she strained, grasping at her chest. That was all Krad need to hear to turn and leave, a twisted smile on his face. Displeased with the situation he was forced into, Dark went to follow. "Dark, please keep in mind that if I could, I would gladly keep Krad sealed within the Black Wings to keep him from the world." With a forced nod, he glided off into the non-existence, not watching as the girl faded from the Seals Edge.

x x x x x

The spell faded as the meeting at the Seal's Edge ended on a bittersweet note, and Mea collapsed to the ground in the centre of the triangle formed by her black robed companions. Quickly, they helped her up, the two strongest, who were most likely men, having her wrap an arm around their necks, carefully bringing her outside as the blindfolded woman followed behind. "Tomorrow..."

Tomorrow they would exist again.


	2. A Feathered Gift

Author's Note: I thought I should point out that I prefer the Japanese version to the English version(I'm sorry, but the voices make me shudder). As such, their mannerisms are slightly different than they are in the English version. So if you review, please don't go out saying that their out of character unless you've watched the Japanese version as well.

* * *

**Stage Two: A Feathered Gift**

"A little longer now." Ever since the meeting of that girl, Mea of the Seal, it seemed like time flowed within the seal. It had been nearly a full day since then, and both Dark and Krad knew that they would never have to see this void again. However, only the white-winged angel seemed to find the thought empowering. With his release, he would be free to see his revenge through. He could destroy the filth that put him here. At the very least put them through the same torment. The thought brought that trademark sadistic smile to his face.

In contrast, Dark was thinking of what was said by Mea. Foresight had never been one of his strong suits, but... Could the magic of Kokuyoku be that powerful? Could it really be enough to break both seals? He had never heard of the artwork itself causing trouble on that scale, but then again, the Black Wings is the only Living Art. And with the corruption of the ritual that would have given it true live, it wasn't impossible that it had a mind separate from the souls that resided in it. The thought of becoming one with Krad, which was at least part of that insane blonde's plans, wasn't all too pleasing, either. The more he though about it, the more tempting the girls offer became, since it would prevent others from being injured...

Before he could finish his thought, the time had come, and both angels found themselves back at the Seal's Edge. "I assume you're ready?" Mea asked, looking down in order to not meet their gazes. When no answer came, she nodded. "Everything is ready on the other side, so I shall begin." It seemed as if existence itself trembled, fearing the power of the magic that the girl forced onto the seal. The chains rattled and shook, but refused to give in. The magic of Dark's seal lashed out at her, cutting away at her body and soul. The shaking, the rattling and the trembling increased in intensity as time continued forward.

Dark gritted his teeth as he watched the battle of wills turn into a flurry of spark-like lights. _I know I'm going to regret this... _The black-winged angel put out a pure black feather, holding the quill between his index and middle finger. It gained a lush purple aura, magic channeling through it. The chaos suddenly lulled as the chains shattered like glass, fading away into bits of energy. Mea's head shot up to look at Dark, both shocked and relieved at what he did. A smile creased her face as things began to fade and new chain began to weave. It took a moment for Dark to realize that she was making a new seal while they were being pulled farther into existence. That was all either of them would realize.

x x x x x

Mea's body faded from the centre of the triangle formed by her companions, dissipating into nothingness. In her place were two feathers, one white, one black. It was the best she could do to contain the souls of Dark and Krad. The blindfolded woman picked up the two feathers, glancing at each one briefly. "I shall take the phantom thief. Naem, you will take his opposite. No matter how they react, this needs to be done." she said, passing the feather of purest white to one of the black robed men.

"I shall meet with you two when you are finished with your tasks." the other man said, moving swiftly and silently out of the museum. The other two followed shortly after, before splitting up an heading for different parts of town.

x x x x x

It was not much later that night when the woman reached her destination. Knocking on the door of the house in front of her, she put her head down. A woman answered the door, looking ready to fall asleep where she stood. It was hard to see her appearance due to the light behind her, causing her to look like a shadowy silhouette of a person. "Good evening madam. I am sorry to disturb you this late at night, but I have something I would like you to give to your son for me." Still not looking at the woman, she handed her the black feather in her possession.

The woman gasped as the she touched the feather and almost cradled it in her hand. When she looked up to ask the person who gave it to her their name, the female with the blindfold was gone. She stood there in the doorway for a few moments longer before going back inside.

* * *

Daisuke woke up early in the morning, which was strange because it was a Saturday and he slept in no matter what day it was. With was laying next to his head comfortably near to the wall, mumbling 'kyuu' every once and a while. With a smile, the red-head turned over to look at the rest of his room. The white of the walls painfully brought his eyes in tune with the light. Grumbling something about it being to early, he tried to fall back into the bliss that is sleep. For five minutes. He got close many times, be each instance something nagged at the back of his consciousness, annoyingly letting him know that he needed to be awake. 

With a groan he climbed down to the floor. He rubbed the palm of his hand into his face for a moment to make sure that he was not asleep. Then, something on his desk caught his eye. A perfect, black feather. It was too long for it to belong to any bird he had ever seen. It had to have belonged to... _No, that's impossible. He's gone. Not even his feathers exist anymore. _And yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that he couldn't be more wrong. He reached over as if to touch the feather, but stopped short, hand hovering an inch away from the quill.

Part of him didn't want to even see that feather. Kaitou Dark had ruined many things in his life during their time together. And yet... he grew to trust Dark, even like him. And there was the fact that the angel had saved him and his friends many times before. Ultimately, the good things about Dark and Daisuke's own curiosity won out and he extended his arm and grabbed the feather. His entire body felt numb and, if for just a second, it felt like time itself stopped. When time resumed, he had full feeling again. Everything was normal, or at least seemed normal. There was a feeling in the back of his mind that was all too familiar. _Dark...? You there?_

No reply. He sighed, half in relieve, half in disappointment. Twirling the feather between his fingers so he could examine it, the red-haired boy walked downstairs. It certainly felt like Dark was back, but if he was then he would have replied, right? Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he walked into the living room, which often doubled as the dining room.. "Good morning, grandpa." he said, walking past the elderly man on the couch in order to sit down himself.

"Good morning Daisuke. What is that there?" Daiki, the boy's grandfather of... er... really old, asked, opening a single eye to look at him as he took a sip of his tea. He knew his grandson well, and knew that something was on his mind for him to be up this early. The feather in his hand seemed familiar, but the man didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet. It wasn't a healthy thing for him to do at his age.

Daisuke frowned, staring at the feather. "It's... one of Dark's feathers." the boy explained as if he didn't believe it himself. His grandfather put his teacup down, but otherwise didn't respond. "Where is everyone?" he asked, finally noticing that none of them were in the house. Although, he could guess...

"Emiko and Towa are out shopping, and Kosuke went out for a walk."

"Oh." It was silent for a moment and Daisuke stood up. As soon as he did, his head suddenly began to throb. It forced him back down, making him cradle his head with both hands, careful not to crush the feather.

Daiki watched, wide-eyed, as the boy changed before him. When it was over, Daisuke stood up again. He was noticeably taller with, of all things, vivid purple hair and eyes. The elderly man sat there like a fish trying to breathe air it could not process. "What?" Daisuke said, though with a voice clearly too deep to be his own. There was a slightly smirk on his face, one that was almost sly, as if he took some sort of pleasure it the old man's confusion. "No warm welcomes?"

_D-D-Dark? How-? I thought that you- I mean, you were going_--

_Calm down, Daisuke. I'm not entirely sure what happened myself._ Dark then reiterated the same thing to Daiki when the man essentially the same thing. He was then assaulted by questions, two at a time. One from his other half, and one from Daiki each round. It ranged from why he was there, to which he responded, "No clue." to if the seal on the Black Wings had been broken. "Kind of." was the cryptic reply to that one. "It's a long story."

Daiki smiled. "I've got nothing but time." And so, Dark explained, if slightly vaguely, everything of note that happened since his sealing. The meeting with Mea of the Seal and her offer. The ritual that caused her to replace them within the Black Wings.

"Okay, maybe not so long." the dark angel admitted with a shrug. It was at this point that With, having woken up after sensing Dark's return, racing down the stairs. With an enthusiastic 'kyuu!' the small rabbit-like demon jumped on his master. "It is good to see you too, With." he said, rubbing With's head. _Now that you've had your fill of answers, mind if I ask one of my own, or do you still have more questions?_

_Heh, sorry. What do you want to know?_

_How long has it been since the Chuuou Art Museum fiasco?_

_Um, about three months, I guess._ Dark grunted with a frown upon finding that out. He had truly thought it had been longer then that. With long strides, he headed for the stairs. _What are you doing?_

_I'd like to make an entrance when Emiko and Towa return._

* * *

"We're home!" Emiko Niwa called as she came into the living room to go to the kitchen. Close behind, and loaded down as usual, was Towa, leaning backwards in order to carry everything. The hair on the back of the artworks neck stood on end as she entered, knowing full well who was there. Emiko, on the other hand, was as oblivious as ever. They both put down the grocery bags, and Towa sighed at the relieve of the weight. Of course, now she had to put the food away.

Meanwhile, Emiko checked on her father, unaware of the person that was walking up behind her. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." she asked the older man, concerned.

"I guess you can say he has."

Gasping at the voice, Emiko spun on her heels, finding herself face to face with, "Dark!" she exclaimed, clasping a hand over her mouth in hope that this wasn't a dream. Then, he leaned forward and greeted her in his normal way, with a small peck on the cheek. Suddenly, she found herself with her arms around his neck, speaking into his shoulder at around a hundred miles a second. And somewhere along the line, as expected, she diverged from stating how much she missed him to rambling about stealing art. Somethings would never change.


	3. Clash in the Shadows

**Stage Three: Clash in the Shadows**

"How did you get here?"

"I'm pretty sure I already answered that." The day was dragging long, as if time moved slower to keep people asking Dark questions. Towa so far had been the only one not to so much as inquire about the Black Wings. Now, Emiko and Kosuke, who had returned in the middle of Emiko's triad about Krad, were the only ones thirsting for answers.

Kosuke, who surprizingly had been leading this game of twenty questions, shook his head. "I didn't mean that. How did the feather that contained you get here? All your feathers disappeared when you were sealed."

To this, Dark frowned, face contorting in an expression of thought. "Now that you mention it, that is a very good question." Until now, he hadn't considered the fact that since he was composed mostly of magic, that his sealing had erased any physical evidence that he had existed. Even if that was not so, how would a lone feather make it from the museum to the Niwa family home?

"Oh, I can answer that." Towa chirped in her normal, cheery tone. "Last night, just when I was about to rest for the night, someone knocked on the door. They handed me Dark's feather. Whoever they were, they must have mistaken me for miss Emiko, since they said to 'give it to my son'. I simply assumed it was Daisuke." she said with a perky smile.

Everyone looked to the artwork with raised eyebrows, one question on their minds. "And that didn't seem... **_odd_** at all to you?" Daiki asked bluntly.

"Not until just now."

Everyone in the room sighed in exasperation, sometimes Towa was a little too spacey. Their questions answered, everyone dispersed around the room. There came a knock on the front door, the hallway carrying the sound throughout the house. _That's Riku! We were going to go out today!_ Daisuke panicked within Dark's mind as his mother walked out to get the door.

_A date, hm? Maybe I should go greet her..._

_Ah! Dark, don't you dare!_

_Ha ha, calm down. Afraid I'm going to **steal** her from you?_ Truthfully, the angel found the conversation very comical. In the end, he turned control over to Daisuke, allowing the boy's body to return to normal. _Be careful; unless you want to turn into me in the middle of your date._

_It's not a date!_ With that last defiant thought, the red-haired boy ran upstairs, determined to change into more normal clothes before Riku saw him. The clothing he choose was casual, a simple red t-shirt and blue jeans. But hey, it wasn't a date. They were just going to hang out together. He hurried back down to the living room once he was street-worthy, only to see Riku sitting on the couch. "Um, hi Riku. Shall we go now?" he asked, trying to remain as calm as possible. It still made him nervous having her around his mother, or in his house period.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, sure Daisuke." The girl stood and bowed thankfully to his mother. "Thank you for letting me wait here." And so, the two of them left. Riku had taken to calling Daisuke by his name, just as he did hers. She couldn't help but feel it helped things go more smoothly between them.

* * *

The day went by quickly. Daisuke and Riku had indeed just been going out, as until the sun set they were practicing art at the fountain park. The Harada girl had gotten continuously better at drawing in the last few months. However she still disliked her level of skill. "It's a sign of a good artist," Daisuke said at one point. "if you doubt your arts quality." So consumed by their work, and with each other, it was well past dusk before they realized the time._Dark hasn't even commented on anything, which is good... I think._

"I think it's time we headed home." Riku stated with a nervous smile. Even now, she was still slightly intimidated by romantic situations was Daisuke. He turned to her with a nod, and so began the long walk home. It was set in Daisuke's mind to walk Riku home and with the shadows heavy in the air, he did not notice the figure gliding high above them.

x x x x x

_Daisuke!_ Dark yelled, but got no reply from the blissful boy. For hours now he had been trying to get the red-head's attention, but it was as if he could not hear him. At this rate, he would have to force himself in control in order to get his message through. Shortly after they had arrived at the fountain, the black-winged angel had sensed an all-to-familiar energy watching them from above. But no matter how hard he tried, the boy would not answer him. And since he actually didn't want to ruin this little date with Riku, he was stuck playing bystander.

x x x x x

They were walking by the beach when the figure made his presence known to the children. In front of them landed a creature in the purest of white robes. Blonde hair, large white wings... There was no mistaking it. It was Krad. The angel looked at the two with his normal sadistic smile. "Greetings."

Riku backed away. After a week of asking, she had finally been informed about both Dark and the white Dark from above the museum Krad. And from what she heard, he was not one to be trifled with. "Daisuke, I thought you said he was gone..." She had also been told, if vaguely, that both he and Dark were never going to return. Heart pounding up into her throat, she swallowed, trying to remain composed.

"Really now? I'm hurt, little Wing Master." Krad replied with feigned insult. His head turned to the girl, Riku, as she tried to dash away. Wasn't she surprized when she found a gloved hand wrapped around her neck. "And where might you be going...?" he inquired, watching as she squirmed.

"Krad, let her go!" Daisuke yelled. _Dark, now would be a very good time to intervene... Dark? Dark! _He was scared now. Why wasn't Dark answering? What could have happened? _Come on Dark, I need you._ He pressed on, a feeling of helplessness washing over him as he watched Krad squeeze Riku's neck. She struggled, pounding on the winged man's hand, but they bothknew it wasn't going to help. Slowly, but surely, her struggles stopped. "No!" _Dark!_

_Daisuke!_ A feeling he remembered from only once before washed over him. Two perfectly black wings burst outward from his back, tearing holes in the back of his shirt. Then, his hair changed color, grew longer, spikier. Angered purple eyes glared at Krad. Actually, anger isn't the right word. The person behind those eyes was downright pissed. "Krad!" Dark screeched, running forward.

Krad's smile grew more twisted if it was possible as he tossed the now unconscious girl aside, over the edge of the railing to the beach more than fifty feet below. He watched with satisfaction as his counter-part changed direction, heading over the cliff after her. Taking to the air, he coasted his way down to the sand, arriving just in time to see Dark lay Riku down. "How sweet."

Dark stood and turned to glare at his opposite. _Dark! Why didn't you--_

_Not now, Daisuke._ The black winged angel moved away from Riku, keeping his eyes on Krad the entire time. Both men arched out their wings and took flight, intending to clash in the skies. Once they were a fair distance from the ground, the two charged at each other, ready to knock the other from the air. They hit head on, and were both deflected by the force of the other. They continued, exhausting the other within minutes. By then, Krad's gaze was that of a madman, as he was desperate to kill Dark. Suddenly, an idea dawned on him, and his sadistic smile gained a homicidal edge.

With a flick of his hand, he send almost a dozen magic charged feathers out... All headed for Riku. _Riku!_ It was hard to tell who thought it first, Daisuke or Dark, but either way, Dark found himself rushing down after the feathers. When he finally close to them, he realized that there was no way he could get Riku out of the way in time. It was a race against time, against all odds that the girl would be killed by the force of Krad's magic. "I'm sorry..." Dark muttered, beating his wings one last time...

* * *

Haven't typed a cliffhanger with this much suspense in a while. It feels **_good_**. Anyway, thanks to DalisaY-17 and Shinjiru Kokoro for my first two reviews. Just as a heads up, school is back in session now, some I will try(keyword 'try') to update twice a week until further notice. And if you have any ideas for the story, like artwork to steal or something, please tell me. I'm running low on ideas surprizingly fast. 


	4. Byakuya

Author's Note: First, I would like to thank(again) DalisaY-17 and Shinjiru Kokoro for reviewing. Second, I apologize for taking so long to update. I would have had this chapter up sooner, but it was fairly hard to word at the end while keeping people mostly in character. Anywho, enjoy.

* * *

**Stage Four: Byakuya**

The feathers impacted, exploding out with magic. Not one, not two, but three people went flying. A single feather strayed and hit the sand near Riku, causing her to be blown a metre or two down the beach. Dark, who had taken the brunt of the attack, was pushed violently into the cliff-side, his head and body slumping in unconsciousness. The third, a new, unknown to the battle, was forced away while still on their feet, causing a large cloud of sand to drift upward. Krad sneered, this was the last thing he needed. Someone interrupting him killing Dark. Glaring into the sand cloud, the angel prepared himself to end the new entry's life.

The air settled, letting the stray bits of sand land on the beach. In the centre of the calmed chaos was a wolf. But it wasn't any old wolf. It's fur was pure black, darker than even the moonless sky that could be seen tonight. It's paws were engulfed in a white more bright than even the sun light that shines in the mornings. And it's eyes... they were so dark a blue that they seemed to pierce into one's soul. The beast growled at the white winged angel, lowering itself to the ground. The two stood there ready for just a moment before the battle resumed.

The wolf lunged forward, bearing it's fangs with bloody intent to tear at Krad. With a flick of his hand, Krad sent the creature flying. "Ignorant beast." he muttered before turning back to Dark. Just as he was about to end his counterpart's misery forever, there was a howl, which sounded strangely like 'byakuya', causing him to glance back to the wolf. The light from it's paws danced forward and turned into solid beams, speeding toward him. As a last second reaction, he used his magic to deflect the white beams. "You should know your place!"

x x x x x

While the two fought, Riku's eyes fluttered open. Moaning, the girl pushed herself up with her arms, glancing across the beach. She could see Krad and the wolf as the man was reduced to using his hands to get the creature away. She was confused at the sight and continued to look around until her eyes fell on Dark. Her cloudy mind reconnected him and Daisuke, and the Harada girl stood, panicked. As fast as her body would go, she dashed for the phantom thief. Thankfully, Krad was to distracted to notice her.

When she was within a yard or so, Riku dropped to her knees, sliding the rest of the way to Dark. The sand burned her leg, but she didn't really notice. She was breathing heavy, having not fully recovered from being strangled by Krad. Panting, she shook Dark, trying to raise him. "Dark! Wake up! This is no time to sleep!" Her voice was barely higher than a whisper. He was still breathing, so he was alive, but the black winged angel was not waking up. _This is bad. This is bad... This is very, very bad..._ Her panick faded, adrenaline kicking in.

Without thinking, she grabbed one of his arms and wrapped it around her neck. She then stood back up, adrenaline allowing her to lift and support Dark as well as herself. Slowly, but surely, she began to drag the winged man away from the battle scene. It wasn't long after Riku started off that Dark groggily opened his eyes. Not bothering to lift or turn his head, he only he shoes and sand-burned legs to guess at the person carrying him. "You hurt?" he mumbled, though quickly regretted it. Speaking had set off a chain reaction of pain throughout his body.

"Not much. But don't get me wrong; I still think you are a pervert."

"Put me down. I--"

"No. I'm getting you out of here. Besides, you die, so does Daisuke. I'm not going to let that happen." The girl was stubborne, he would give her that. But she wouldn't even give him the chance to walk by himself!

x x x x x

The wolf creature had managed to latch on to Krad's arm with it's powerful jaws, and was staining his white robe red with blood. "Vile creature! Let go of me!" With that, the angel swung his hard hard, forcing the wolf to let go. He then used several explosive feathers to blast the poor beat over the cliff and out of sight. Frowning down at the blood dripping from his hand, the man growled, "Now it is Dark Mousy's turn." It was pretty hard to miss that girl having dragged the black winged man away. Bitterly, he flew off, gliding high up in the sky to avoid being spotted.

It had been silent for a little bit as Riku dragged Dark. The awkward thing was that not only was Dark heavier than her, but he was also a good head taller than her. When he finally started to walk on his own, Riku had to move where she was supporting him from his shoulders to his torso. Eventually, it came to Dark supporting her, as the adrenaline rush finally wore off. At least his body wasn't sore anymore. If they could get to the Harada manse, then they would more than likely be safe for the moment. They would, that is, if Krad wasn't following them.

"Can you still run?" Dark asked Riku in an undertone, not looking back to where he knew his counterpart was. When she nodded, he continued, "When I say, I'm going to let go, and I want you to run as fast as you can to your home." The girl looked to him, confused and was about to ask him the reasoning behind this when he released her shoulders. "Go!" the angel said, taking to the air and flying away in the opposite direction.

She stumbled at first, but, regardless of her exhaustion, she took off running, only to have sand fly at her from behind. That Krad was still after them?! And so, while no more feathers exploded behind her, the Harada girl ran until she was inside her home, before collapsing into a pile of girl and sobs.

x x x x x

After letting go of Riku, Dark made sure to lose Krad. It must have been a good twenty minutes before the homicidal blonde dropped out of the chase. _Remind me to thank Hiwatari, Daisuke._

_Now can you tell me why you didn't respond?_

_Because I couldn't._ Dark wasn't going to stop flying until he reached the Niwa home, so the conversation was ended there so he would not be distracted. The only problems with that were that one, he was already exhausted from escaping from Krad. And two, his body was starting to get cold, and he was going numb. He was probably bleeding, and hadn't even realized it until now.

* * *

After they returned, and Daisuke was back in control, Dark had gone silent again. But this time, the red-head knew why. While the angel did use Daisuke's energy for magic and the like, it was still a drain on him too. Although, he didn't doubt that Dark would be back to normal by morning. He always was.

Currently, Emiko was tending to her son's back. The impact with the cliff had left multiple cuts and bruises. "I see Krad's only gotten more violent." the woman commented, carefully cleaning a rather nasty gash. Daisuke winced, but at least it was something. For a good five minutes, he apparently had no feeling in his back, and hadn't even noticed when Dark's wings disappeared. Now, as they were all aware of, he was regretting that he could feel pain again.

"This is all to convenient to be coincidence. So something tried to protect you when Krad attacked?" Kosuke inquired rhetorically, thinking about what he had been told about what happened. "And Dark was suppressed most of the day. Obviously, up until when Krad attacked anyway, this was planned."

"Planned by who, though?" Towa added. This entire situation was off, and even together, none of them could figure it out. The Hikari artwork sighed, giving up. "We won't get anywhere tonight, so once miss Emiko is finished bandaging Daisuke, we should all get some rest."


	5. In Totality

**Stage Five: In Totality**

"I will not do that." Their meeting place was dark, but was not affected by the elements. The now three people stood in a triangle, the man that was obviously the leader standing slightly higher than the others. "We allowed Mea to seal herself in the Black Wings and now you want them to kill each other? I cannot condone that." the blindfolded woman objected.

"Will you abandon you orders to watch the Kokuyoku, then?"

There was no answer. No one could answer that question, as the woman was gone. "She will return." the other man, Naem, assured. However, there was no force behind his words, because they both knew he was lying.

* * *

Daisuke flopped onto the couch face first. It had been a whole week since Dark came back. About nine days since he ran into that blindfolded woman and six days since Krad attacked. Since then, his grandfather had been going out everyday, looking for artwork that might need to be sealed. Thank goodness he hadn't found any, and his mother failed to think of anything the great Phantom Thief Dark would steal. In fact, he hadn't even turned into Dark since Krad's attack. Everything was pretty calm considering what had happened. Towa was the same as always, and Kosuke was always lost in thought. So Daisuke didn't have to worry about anything.

The problem is that he was worried. He hadn't told anyone really, and he didn't let it get to him, but he was worried about Dark, of all people. It was hard to notice at first, but the angel's voice continually got quieter and more distant. Kind of like when you stand next to a moving car while talking to someone inside. As the vehicle moves away, it gets harder to hear the person, see(or in this case, sense) them, and even hold a conversation. Truthfully, it more than worried him. It kind of... scared him. He commented on it to Dark, and from what he could hear, Dark was experiencing the same thing on his end.

Anyway, it was about midday and, as such, there was little to do. He didn't have to frantically get ready to steal something tonight, which made the overall day surprizingly boring. Maybe he should go out for a walk. Yeah, that would be good. The fresh air would take his mind off of things, or at least help him think better.

* * *

Well, so much for that idea. It was cold and raining. The wind today wasn't helping much, either. Sighing, Daisuke looked up at the grey, dreary sky from under his umbrella. It was a little depressing. Starting to walk again, the boy spaced out, wandering the town aimlessly. The pitter-patter of the rain was the only thing keeping him connected to reality as the red-haired boy thought. Could something be wrong with Dark or him? Is that why what everything that was happening was happening?

As lost in thought he was, it was no surprize that Daisuke bumped into the person in front of him, who merely stood there, looking at the boy. "Ah, s-sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention." he said, bowing his head slightly. Then he noticed it. The black robe, he'd seen it before. Nervously, he looked up, seeing the same blindfolded woman from before. She looked down at him, her face devoid of emotion. Actually, strike that. She might have been frowning a little. Last time was bad enough, what on Earth would she want now? "It's you. We need to stop meeting like this."

"That's my line." The woman said with a bemused voice, but her face didn't change. "If... you wouldn't mind, could you please follow me? I have something I need to tell you." her tone was much lower now. Slowly, she began to walk, moving away from the busy, populated main streets. Daisuke followed, uneasy as he was. However, he didn't have a reason to distrust her yet. It must of had something to do with what she said. What would she, someone he's only meet twice now, need to tell him? It put him on edge.

They walked for what seemed like forever in the cold, wind-tossed rain. They stopped when they reached an old, basement style bar. It looked as if it had been abandoned for a while. The sign was covered in dirt and dried mud. He couldn't even make out a name. Silently, the blindfold woman moved down the stairs and entered the unlocked door. Strange. Daisuke followed closely behind, looking around as he realized that there was absolutely no light. The door creaked shut on rusting hinges, closing almost effortlessly despite it's protests. Darkness completely engulfed the entire room.

He couldn't tell when she had removed the blindfold, nor could he tell where anything in the room was, but he knew that she was looking at him. Her gaze was simply too... piercing, for anyone not to notice. "I brought you here to tell you about why Kaitou Dark Mousy returned." How did she know about him and Dark? It seemed impossible, considering the fact that the information was only between the Niwa's and the Hikari's, with the only exceptions being Riku and Risa. "In short, we released him."

What made him say it, he didn't know, but Daisuke found himself speaking. " 'We'? Whose 'we'?"

"My... former fellows and I. Now, I fear they wish Dark and Krad dead. I don't think you or the other little Wing Master would like that." Well, wasn't this sudden. Silence followed, and extended into what seemed like forever. After a little bit, her gaze relented slightly, easing up gently. "Is there something wrong with you or Dark? I can barely see him near you." Daisuke shifted nervously. This woman was creeping him out, what with her apparent love of dark places and stuff.

Should he tell her? It seemed that she knew an awful lot about him and Dark. Maybe she could help. Man, he had never been good at these kinds of decisions. He may as well just blab it out. "Well, it he been getting hard to hear him lately." when he said that, he could tell that the woman looked away. What was up with her anyway? The darkness that filled the room suddenly became deeper and heavier, like a black blanket that covered everything in it's reach. When it was at it's maximum, strangely, the red-haired boy could see his alter-ego. But something was definitely wrong.

The man looked worn out, like he had been working all day. He was face-down on the floor, and seemed almost to fade in and out of existence. "I feared as much. There isn't much time, then." she said from within the darkness. Daisuke couldn't see her, even when he knew she was right next to Dark. The air above the angel waved and those waves took the form of a hand.

"Wait, what's going on!"

"When you were born, you had both Dark's soul and magic, 'dna' if you want to call it that. That created a bond that your body accepted, since it was all it knew." While she spoke, magic flowed freely between her hand and the winged man on the ground. "But when he was sealed, that bond was stretched thin. Now, your body is rejecting his soul, which has been manifesting itself in many different ways. I assume the other Wing Master is experiencing something similar. But it's degrading faster than I would have thought it would."

Daisuke blinked. How did she know all this? "Then what are you going to do?"

The magic flow slowed a bit before picking up the speed. "What should have been done in the first place. Damn, focus on keeping Dark bound to you until I finish! If the bond breaks before then, we'll lose him forever."

* * *

Daisuke had been doing what he had been told to do when he felt this sudden disconnection. Like when Dark had sealed himself. Except, this seemed different. His concentration broken, he opened his eyes to find that the darkness had lifted in the abandoned bar. The door somehow opened while the shadows covered everything and the bar looked ransacked. There were broken tables and chairs, and half the counter was demolished. It looked like a lot more than a simple bar fight happened here. But it was long enough ago that whatever happened, it was impossible to tell now. "You go on ahead. I need to rest. I'll be sure that Dark gets to your home."

Startled by the sudden sound of the womans voice, he looked around. Neither hide nor hair could be seen of her, which was odd, considering the amount of light in the room. Why was he always left out of the loop? With a growing sense of uneasiness, the red-head turned and left, heading home. This had been a long, odd day.

x x x x x

"Master, it's Juki the Soul Seer. She--"

"Yes, I know. I had planned for this. She always had been the weak link in our group, too compassionate for the line of work we had her in." The voice was serious and wise, but the silhouette that the bearer cut revealed them to be young, almost too young to hold the obvious reasoning, logistics, sheer intelligence that was carried in the voice. But behind all that was something else. Something that demanded authority. "I did not, however, expect her to do what she did. As such, a small bit of reworking must be done. Go see the other Wing Master and do the same. We can't let Dark have an unfair advantage, now can we...?"

The other man bowed his head and left, leaving his 'master' alone to think. "No matter what happens, my plan will come to fruition and my dream will be reality."

* * *

As soon as Daisuke got home, he was assaulted by his mother. "Daisuke! Good news! I was watching the television and an older man is opening his personal art gallery to the public. And apparently he has a necklace that was used in ancient rituals!" Mentally, Daisuke begged her to say that they were going to see it and nothing more. From what he could tell, Dark was gone, and he really didn't want to go out stealing again, let alone completely by himself. "And Phantom Thief Dark is going to steal it!" Way to crush a dream, Emiko. "Isn't that great?" And grind it into the ground.

The poor Niwa boy was about to point out the flaw in her plan- the missing Dark- when he heard a scream from the backyard. _That sounded like Towa._ Reacting before everyone else, as he had been trained since he was young to do, the red haired boy was at the door to the yard quickly. By now, the sun had set beyond the horizon, and little light was left to see by, as the moon had yet to show it's face due to cloudy skies. But had could see the artwork just fine, along with what made her scream. It was a wolf. He didn't know it, as neither he nor Dark had gotten a good look at it, but it was the same wolf that had saved them from Krad before. Light covered paws and everything. Only this time, it seemed to have wings.

No, wait. Those wings seemed familiar. There was a slight purple sheen to the black feathers, which sprawled out to the sides heavily almost like dead weight. The canine knelled down, shaking it's body as if to rid itself of a burden. At that moment, both Towa and Daisuke knew were they had seen the wings before. Toppling lamely to the ground was Dark in all his glory. He looked very much asleep, even when in all honesty, he should not exist as he was. As a separate entity. But he did, even to everyone's confusion as they approached the door. The wolf nodded to Daisuke as if to tell him something before letting it's head droop, then dropping to the ground on it's side.

* * *

A/N: First, sorry it took so long to up date. I guess I should say that you should expect this, especially with school in session.  
Second, I'm sorry for the cliffhanger at the end, but I need the next chapter to explain some plot points that are slightly vague.  
Third, and perhaps most important of all, I would like to thank the readers for... reading, and Shinjiru Kokoro for her review. I worked hard, moving a few things around to try and meet her length suggestion. It worked well for this particular chapter(I think), and I'll try to consistently keep them this length or longer. Yeah, I'm going to sleep now. Sayonara until the next stage!


End file.
